Re: what is the reason for burning cards?
In theory, it makes a few forms of cheating more difficult. For example, let's say someone has marked some of the cards in the deck and sees what the next card is in hold'em after all the pre-flop hands have been dealt. Generally speaking, it's far more valuable for that person to know it will be in the flop than to know it is going to be burned. That's just one example, it can theoretically hamper other forms of cheating, too.
Ultimately, it is largely pointless to burn cards, and I think now it is mainly just done out of tradition. Skilled cheaters using powerful techniques like card marking, among other things, will destroy a table full of people playing on the square regardless of whether cards are getting burned or not.
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